SHARING MENU FOR 4-6
Grilled halloumi with avocado, black olive tapenade, rocket and lemon-oregano dressing Chilled almond soup with caperberry migas and grapes
Spicy aubergine polpette
Salted anchovies and heritage tomato salad Psari a la spetsiota (Greek-style fish) Spiced lamb with samphire and sumac salad
Black pepper strawberries with chocolate crumble Grilled peach sorbet
MEET THE CHEFS
THEODORE KYRIAKOU
Chef and co-founder of The Greek Larder in King’s Cross.
HERITAGE The Greek capital of Athens was Theodore’s birthplace, but he’s lived in London since 1987.
FRANCESCO MAZZEI
Chef-patron of Sartoria restaurant in Mayfair.
HERITAGE Born and raised in Calabria, in the south of Italy, he moved to London in 1996.
JOSÉ PIZARRO
Chef-owner of three London restaurants: José, Pizarro (both in Bermondsey) and José Pizarro in the City.
HERITAGE Originally from Extremadura, Spain, he’s lived In London since 1999.
SELIN KIAZIM
Chef and co-owner of Oklava in Shoreditch.
HERITAGE Selin is a north Londoner born and bred, but her restaurant menu is built upon her Turkish-Cypriot ancestry.
HOW LONDON BECAME THE CAPITAL OF FOOD – AND HOW THESE INSPIRING CHEFS HELPED IT HAPPEN
British cuisine, once the butt of many a joke (usually to do with vinegary chips and warm beer) has gone from culinary zero to gastro-hero in recent decades.
London has established itself as a prime dining city, shoving aside the likes of Paris, New York, Tokyo and Sydney to top ‘world’s best food city’ lists. It’s where savvy travellers want to come to eat, and where top chefs want to make their name. Much of the capital’s success stems from chefs from around the globe who came bearing gifts of fresh skills, new ideas and keen talent. They’ve helped to cook up the rich cultural stew that defines London’s dining scene.
PUNK ETHOS
Theodore Kyriakou arrived in London when the British food revolution was just kicking into gear. He had no intention of becoming a chef but went on to launch two successful restaurant mini-chains: LiveBait and The Real Greek. Both broke new ground – the former for championing local, sustainable fish before it was the fashion to do so, and the latter for challenging Londoners to rethink Greek cooking (it, like British food, suffered from the chips-with-everything stereotype). Does he think he could have accomplished the same thing in any other city? “No. Impossible,” he says.
“Coming to London in the aftermath of the Sex Pistols, no one cared where you were from, there were no labels. It was easy to get connected, to find a job. Yes, it paid peanuts, but you could work and become part of society.” But, he says, setting up in London’s no picnic: “When you come here, you must work – forget your 40 hours and iced coffees on the beach. But it’s almost a paradise to gain knowledge you wouldn’t have at home.” José Pizarro agrees: “Attaining the same level of success was never going to happen if I’d stayed in Spain,” he says. “London is an open-minded place and people with good ideas will have the red carpet rolled out for them.”
THE CITY THAT ALWAYS EATS
Francesco Mazzei has also witnessed changes in British restaurant culture. “When I first came here, there weren’t many good Italian restaurants,” he says. “The ones there were served lasagne that was a brick block bigger than your house!” he laughs. “Then came the excess of the Michelinstarred and fusion-confusion stuff. Now London is the place for very good food: gastropubs, normal restaurants, fine dining… It’s the capital of food, and English food knowledge is second to none in Europe.”
Selin Kiazim has lived in London all her life, working with chefs such as Kiwi-born ‘king of fusion food’ Peter Gordon. Is the London her peers describe something she recognises, or is theirs a rose-tinted view? “Growing up, I was engrossed in the Cypriot culture of north London,” she says. “When I went to work with Peter, I learned about ingredients from all over the world and met people out of the bubble I’d grown up in. I encountered so many diverse cultures. London is a wonderful melting pot of cultures and cooking styles.”
These days, you can try a different cuisine in the capital every night of the week, for weeks. You can run the gamut, from Michelin-starred sophistication to roll-up-your-sleevesand-dig-in street food, and indulge in everything in between.